3M Open 2026: DFS and Betting Preview

The final major championship of the season is officially behind us, and the PGA Tour heads to Minnesota for the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities. While this event doesn't feature the star power of recent weeks, it creates one of the best DFS and betting opportunities of the summer.

Many of the game's biggest names are taking a well-earned break following The Open Championship, leaving a wide-open field filled with FedEx Cup bubble players looking to secure playoff positioning. That combination often leads to aggressive golf, plenty of birdies, and excellent DFS scoring.

Let's break down this week's course, key stats, DFS strategy, and our favorite plays.

⛳Course Breakdown: TPC Twin Cities

TPC Twin Cities has quietly become one of the better scoring venues on Tour. Winning scores routinely reach 20-under or better, meaning golfers must make birdies in bunches to contend. Water is technically in play on much of the course, but unless the wind picks up, the layout is generally forgiving enough for aggressive play.

Unlike last week's demanding links setup, players return to soft bentgrass greens where attacking pins is rewarded.

🔑 Key Stats to Target

When building DFS lineups and evaluating outright bets, we are prioritizing:

• Strokes Gained: Approach

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green

• Par 5 Scoring

• Driving Accuracy

• Bogey Avoidance

This tournament is rarely won by simply avoiding mistakes. Birdies are king, making upside much more valuable than a golfer with a high floor but limited scoring ability.

☁️Weather Forecast

The forecast looks extremely favorable for scoring throughout the week at TPC Twin Cities.

Warm temperatures, minimal rain chances, and generally light winds should allow players to attack pins and continue the tournament's tradition of producing winning scores around 20-under par or better. Thursday is expected to feature partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 80s and light winds. Friday brings similar temperatures, although winds could increase into the 10-20 mph range, making it the most challenging weather day of the tournament.

The weekend heats up considerably, with highs climbing into the 90s on both Saturday and Sunday. While a slight chance of afternoon showers exists later in the weekend, current forecasts suggest weather delays are unlikely.

At the moment, there doesn't appear to be a significant weather edge between the early and late tee-time waves, so lineup decisions should be driven primarily by player projections rather than forecast concerns. As always, keep an eye on the forecast Wednesday night and Thursday morning in case conditions change before lock.

💰DFS Strategy

This is one of our favorite tournament setups for GPPs. Because scoring is so low, roster construction should lean toward golfers capable of producing streaks of birdies rather than simply making cuts.

In cash games, six golfers making the weekend is still the priority, but for tournaments we are willing to embrace volatility if it means chasing players with legitimate win equity.

Ownership also becomes especially important in weaker fields. There are several attractive mid-range options this week, so differentiating lineups with lower-owned upside plays could be the key to climbing large-field leaderboards.

Cash Game Core

Scottie Scheffler ($14,000 DK; +260to win)

Whenever Scottie Scheffler appears in a field this weak, he deserves consideration regardless of salary. Scheffler is making his tournament debut, but he's still the clear class of this field. Elite ball striking, unmatched consistency, and arguably the highest floor in professional golf make him difficult to fade in cash contests despite the expensive price tag.

Maverick McNealy ($9,900 DK; +2500 to win)

McNealy continues to flash an excellent all-around game and enters the week as one of the safest upper-tier options behind Scheffler. His combination of birdie-making ability and solid tee-to-green play fits TPC Twin Cities well.

Tom Kim ($9,300 DK; +2900 to win)

Tom Kim bounced back with a victory recently before missing the cut at The Open Championship. Returning stateside against a much weaker field should put him right back into contention. Kim's elite iron play and scoring upside make him one of my favorite plays across all contest types this week.

GPP Targets

Mac Meissner ($8,100 DK; +5800 to win)

Meissner has quietly improved at TPC Twin Cities while also entering the week with encouraging recent form. His ability to rack up birdies makes him an attractive leverage option if ownership stays modest.

Ben James ($8,000 DK; +5100 to win)

One of the more intriguing young players in the field, James continues to gain strokes across nearly every category and has shown flashes of tremendous upside.

He's exactly the type of golfer I like targeting in large-field tournaments.

Lucas Glover ($7,100 DK; +10500 to win)

Glover has quietly been playing excellent golf, recording top-five finishes in consecutive starts before arriving in Minnesota. Recent approach numbers remain outstanding, and while his birdie upside isn't always elite, his current form gives him tournament-winning potential at likely reduced ownership.

💰Early Betting Card

Outright Winners

• Scottie Scheffler (+260)

• Kurt Kitayama (+2400)

• Ben James (+5100)

Top 10 Bets

• Mac Meissner (+405)

Top 20 Bets

• Ben Kohles (+220)

These are the players we are most interested in backing this week based on current form, course fit, and available betting value. Several golf analysts have also highlighted Tom Kim, Lucas Glover, and Davis Thompson as strong values entering the week.

These picks are not final. For our full set of final picks, check out our Game Picks section here!

🧠 Final Thoughts

The 3M Open is always an interesting stop on the PGA Tour calendar. Without a loaded field, we're often rewarded for identifying rising players before they become household names.

Expect another birdie fest at TPC Twin Cities, which means emphasizing golfers who can generate DraftKings scoring through birdie streaks, eagles, and finishing position upside rather than simply making the cut.

Good luck this week, and as always, be sure to check for any late withdrawals, weather updates, and tee-time advantages before locking your DFS lineups or placing your bets.

Our One-and-Done Picks

Collin – TBD

Frank – Kurt Kitayama

That’s it for this week. Check back Wednesday for our Rocket Classic preview and follow us on X @FTO_picks and @FTO_fun!

*This preview does not represent our final betting picks for this event. For our full set of picks, check out our Game Picks section here!

**Odds accurate at time of posting.